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Reviews from Cruisers (10)

We stayed here two nights in January 2014 on our travel south. Beautiful and safe . Tied up to the wooden wall around the man made basin. Walked the grounds. Winds high enough for no bugs, nice! Two boats tied up during our stay. We were there during the week and not on weekend.Saw 7 ft at HT coming in. Suggest you hug the island on entering. Last green marker is missing. Sorry to say we picked up a stowaway that we finally caught two days later. A large rat. The rat apparently climbed the dock lines and was topsides. A good old Victor trap fixed the problem. We will tie up next time with Clorox bottles on the dock lines as we did in the Bahamas to prevent the little pests from boarding.Pictures of Boca Chita here http://ontheofficewautoteacher.blogspot.com/2014/02/boot-key-harbor-marathon.html

Senior pass buys you $ 10.00 dockage, but be careful of the weekend unless you want all-night salsa. The ranger were there four times a day. The sound went down, and went up right after the rangers left. Elliott Key is closed because of Sandy damage which will not be fixed for a bit so Bocca is taking up the slack.

Beautiful spot. Carried 5’6″ at high tide with no concerns. HOWEVER don’t bother going if winds are out of west, if it rained in the last few days or if it’s summer—mosquitos thick enough to block the ports!! Could not go outsude even with full suit of long clothes and every repelent know to man.!!! These vampires are after a meal and you are the invited main course!JiM Lady Lady

As you move up the east coast, Boca Chita in the Key Biscane National Park is a neat place to stop. Go midweek if you want it quieter as the Miami metro area seems to weekend there. It’s fun on the weekends but you will probably have to raft off.Mike & TammyValhalla II

One of our favorite places in the keys and our first stop south of Miami. Stopped there again March 7-9, 2010. We tried to get in on Saturday March 6 but the basin was crowded with boats rafted two and three deep. So after a night anchored out near Adams Key, we returned to Boca Chita Sunday afternoon when the crowd begins to leave. Heard that the Rangers had payed an early morning visit and everyone without a receipt for payment got a ticket (and one boat docked in the “no docking” zone got a fine of $750 for that and other violations). The regs don’t seem to be enforced often but when they are there’s no fooling around! Note that the senior age pass rate is only &10.00. The toilets are salt water flush and have been recently refurbished. There is a resident volunteer who works on keeping everything looking good. While the weekends are crowded, we have enjoyed joining in with Cuban families who gather to party there- a cross-cultural experience and interesting to hear their stories and viewpoints.

Boca Chita is another great stop. Its $20 per night, self-service pay to the National Park Service. Its a wonderful place to spend a day or two but DON”Tgo on the weekend.Regards,Randy PickelmannMORNING STAR

One note about Boca Chita — no pets allowed … AT ALL.No Name Bay [Harbor] is another option for Key Biscayne — also pretty crowded on weekends. I prefer to pass up Key Biscayne and anchor off of Elliot Key. Wear plenty of repellent if you go ashore as the mosquitos are KILLER.Adam

Vist there often. Last night.Channel clearly market from ICW. Small marks but right where they are marked. Channel holds almost 6 feet at low tide. Less tide here than Miami, 14 miles to the north. Harbor nearly round, with board covered wall, lots of cleats. Only services are picnic tables and solar powered his and hers. State Park, fee on the honor system, Harbor holds 7 feet or better a MLW. As scenic as you get with a restored lighthouse. Plenty of room during the week. Very busy on weekend. Small island with trees and grass. Great place, very secure in a blow.“No TacT”David

I visited the National Park Harbor at Boca Chita Key one time in the fall. The entrance channel had about 5 to 6 feet. There were no services there, only a Florida Ranger there. The no seeums were terrible. We had to run to our boat after walking the island.Ron Hollander

Boca Chita Key. We visited there in spring of 2008. The entrance was well marked and held 5ft at mid tide. There is lots of room for side ties along the wall. The deeper in, the quieter. Facilities are sparce. No water, carry out your own trash. Chemical toilets are available. Itʼs an interesting place to stop along the way. One full day is plenty.Bob and Toni Dorman

The channel is well marked, 6′ MLW most of the way with a 5 1/2 hump just east of the final buoys, near the harbor entrance. No services… no power, no water, no garbage collections. Pets are NOT allowed, even on boats. if the rangers see a pet on your boat, they will have you leave immediately, and possibly fine you.it’s a great place to spend a couple of days, there are a couple of trails, and a small beach on the N side. Beware of mosquitoes in summer. Avoid holliday week ends, it’s a zoo with small boats and campers, loud music, etc… it’s busy on regular week ends, often filled to capactity by sat. noon.Pascal

Subject: Boca chita, FL Keys/ Biscayne BayCruising News: I see the note about no dogs (and no cats… actually the signs say no pets) at Boca Chita… the rangers have always enforced this. If they see a pet on a boat, they will have you leave, right away. I’ve heard that people who argued or delayed leaving have been fined.You can safely take in 5′ draft at MLW, just stay bewteen the 3 sets of buoys. The shallowest part, just over 5′ MLW, is just east of the final pair (between the last pair and the harbor entrance).Mosquitoes make the place unbearable in summer though…Pascal

June 2009: Took 52 foot cruiser in with five-foot draft but waited for a +1.0 foot tide which gave me a foot or more under the keel. Good wall with cleats for tie up. No power or water. $20 charge per night. Mosquitoes found us quickly even in middle of day. Kind of funny to watch boat loads of weekenders arrive in bathing suits, haul coolers and grills from open boats to picnic tables, and then start swating with vigor. Some left quickly. Reminds me of the Everglades in Summer. We hid inside in the air conditioning for two days and then escaped with most of our blood left. Much nicer, I am sure, in cooler, dryer weather.